


Fix-It-Fics & Prompts

by AraniWrites



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-21
Updated: 2018-09-12
Packaged: 2018-10-08 23:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10399044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AraniWrites/pseuds/AraniWrites
Summary: A collection of "Fix-it-Fics" and prompts for both the Female Ryder/Kallo Jath ship and the Female Ryder/Zevin Raeka ship. When will bioware let me romance a Salarian in peace? ;_;Featuring my custom Sara Ryder and Tara Ryder.





	1. Friendly Faces

It had been such a weight off her shoulders to see it. The Tempest coming in to land before her eyes, looking just as beautiful as she’d remembered it. A ship she knew inside and out.

Vetra Nyx was the first to greet her. Sara found the Turian kind and quick-thinking, pleasant, and she approved of her being part of the Tempest’s crew.

“Welcome to the Tempest.” Vetra told her, “Everything’s state of the art. Labs, sensors, exploration gear. Plus her crew of course, the best in their field.”

Sara could hardly contain her joy at being back on her ship, noticing that Vetra was making a beeline for the meeting room. Furnishings had been completed, supplies loaded, and the ship sounded like it was running beautifully.

“The engine core is based off the Ark’s ODSY drive.”

“Runs quieter.” Sara told her, nodding. Vetra gazed at her in surprise for knowing that, and Sara smiled. “You don’t have to tell me a thing about this ship. I built her.”

“Really?”

The two had made their way up to the meeting room. It was fully functional, with all its panels in place, as spotless as she remembered it.

Sara ran her hand over the railing, taking in the moment. “Yeah. Kallo and I worked with a team back in the Milky Way, built her from the ground up. We designed her to be light, stealthy, and the fastest ship in her class; perfect for a Pathfinder. Spent years of our lives on this ship.” She smiled to herself, taking a deep breath. “Feels like home.” She gazed at Vetra, “Speaking of which, is Kallo Jath still piloting? He’s a Salarian.”

“He is, should be up on the bridge when you’re ready.” Vetra leaned into the railing, “Kallo mentioned a Sara but I didn’t realize you were one in the same. In that case, welcome home. It’s an honor to be working with you.”

Vetra left Sara alone, and she took a minute to breathe. It was comforting being on board, and for a brief moment she could see the entire team there, working on it together.

Sara made her way down to the bridge, mentally checking all the panels and gears as she passed by. Everything seemed to be in working order.

The door opened to the bridge and a rush of memories came to her. So many days spent optimizing the systems here; all the laughter and smiles, endless days and sleepless nights. It was perfect, in a way, to be back here.

Then she heard his voice.

“Departure trajectory locked, Nexus Control.”

Sara smiled, “I see they’re still letting you retain your pilot’s license.”

Kallo stiffened in his chair for just a moment, recognizing her voice instantly, as familiar as his own. He looked back, and there she was; Sara Ryder, back on the bridge of the ship they built together.

Kallo grinned, “Took some persuasion, believe me.” He stood and went to her, taking her hand with both of his. “It’s good to finally see a familiar face. When I’d heard your Ark had appeared I’d hoped you were well. Been a lonely year without a brilliant mind around.”

“And a lonely year without the best damn pilot in the fleet. Sorry about the Ark, seems we left everyone hanging.”

Kallo’s smile faded, “I heard about what happened to your family. Are you… okay?”

Sara took a deep breath, her own smile gone. “No.” She told him after a moment, “But at least Scott… he still has a good chance of waking up. At some point. All I can do is wait. And we have a job to do, I can’t let it get to me right now. My dad wouldn’t have wanted that.”

Kallo sighed and hugged her, doing his best to be comforting. It seemed to be working as she hugged him back. “I’m sorry. Once things calm down, we’ll talk. Okay?” She nodded into his chest, and he noticed just how tense she was.

“I’m really glad you’re here.” She told him, her voice muffled. She let him go after a few moments and smiled, “Can’t imagine doing this with anyone else.”

“And I can’t imagine anyone better suited to being Pathfinder.” He grinned again, “Come on, Navigation is yours now.” They moved to the front of the bridge, where the Pathfinder’s console rose up. They could both hear others coming onto the bridge. “You remember how this works?”

“Yeah, swipe and touch.”

“Seems you two are playing nice.” Liam joked from behind them. The two chuckled as Kallo went back to his pilot’s seat.

“You kidding? I’ve put up with her for years.” He said as he sat down, “You just can’t get away from Sara Ryder. Even leaving the Milky Way wasn’t enough.”

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up Kal. You missed me and you know it.” He said nothing, but his expression told it all.

Sara breathed. For the first time, she felt like she was truly home.


	2. Painfully Obvious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sads. Some Fluffs. Some laughs. The norm with Kallo and Sara!
> 
> Warning: There are one or two story spoilers in this fic.

“We’re good, we’re good!”

Sara snickered, straightening after hanging on for dear life as the Tempest nearly fell right through the ice. “Are you sure Kallo?” She asked as she began to leave, “We could get out and push.”

“Very funny Sara.” He did his best to remain deadpan, but it was physically impossible when he heard her giggle. “Be careful.”

“I always am!” She waved before leaving to gear up, ready to save the Moshae with Jaal. Kallo resorted to keeping the ship warm and watching the raging ice storm outside the window.

“You two are adorable.” Suvi grinned at him from across the Bridge. 

“Excuse me?”

“You and Sara! You get on so well.” 

“Well of course we do.” Kallo shrugged, “I’ve known her for so long now.”

Suvi leaned back in her chair, “I’ve tried talking to her a few times. Her work in Mathematics is fascinating. But she’s very… well…”

Kallo smiled, “Stubborn? Reclusive? Enigmatic?”

“I was going to say ‘hard-working’ and ‘devoted’.” Kallo laughed at that.

“You don’t have to sugar coat her. I know what she’s like.” Kallo turned his full focus to her, “I remember the first time we met her. The team and I were expecting her arrival, and when she showed up she barely said a word. We got a name out of her and that’s about it, she spent her time working day and night, never stopped or slowed. O’Connell thought she was a robot in disguise. It took a few days to tune into her mannerisms. I tried hard to get to know her, just like everyone else on our team. She opened up over time and by happenstance we ended up getting along really well. It’s hard to imagine the Tempest without her expertise thrown in.” He grinned, but mostly to himself, gaining a thousand-yard-stare. “There was one time, a few weeks after she came in. We were taking a break, throwing one of those human-made frisbee’s around. Sorenna managed to get it stuck high on a radio tower. Of course, none of us wanted to break regulation and fetch it.”

“What happened?”

Kallo chuckled, “Sara walked out right at that moment. Saw it land. She looked at that tower for all of three seconds before shrugging and throwing off her leather jacket. Then she just started climbing the side of the tower, like it was a ladder when it clearly wasn’t. O’Connell called her ‘Spiderwoman’, told her to stop showing off. She got to the frisbee so fast, it must have been five or six stories off the ground, I’ve never seen anyone do that before. She brought it down to us and smiled real wide, said _‘I have a history in the complex art of Parkour’_. Teon burst out laughing, and it was infectious. It’s always been her way; getting things done quick and right, even if she broke a few regulations here and there. The risk of bodily harm be dammed, in her mind.”

Kallo broke out of his memories to Suvi’s laugh. He looked as she got back to work, smirking, “What?”

“Oh nothing. I wouldn’t dare point out a crush.”

Kallo’s face turned beet red, “W-what?!” He got back to his work faster than she’d ever seen, “Me? A crush on Sara? That’s ridiculous.”

“Of course.”

After a few moments he sucked in a breath, “Even if I did I wouldn't say it. Not me.”

Suvi grinned, “Absolutely not.”

-

Veold had taxxed everyone.

Such horrible discoveries in such a short amount of time. There was no way to hide that every member of the crew was shaken by what the Kett did to the Angara. Kallo knew he wasn’t the only one.

He’d heard Sara making the rounds after she returned from the Vault on Aya. She checked up on everyone on board individually, talking through what they’d seen on Veold. She took the time with her stiff upper lip, comforting and supportive. Then she’d disappeared into her room, and no one had seen her since.

Kallo brought the Tempest to safe space. Everyone needed their time to rest, or speak to Lexi privately. But when Sara didn’t re-emerge from her room, he went and knocked.

“Sara?” He called, knocking again. There was no response, but the door opened to a dark room, only illuminated by the star closest to them. Kallo didn’t see her at first, but he knew where he needed to look.

Kallo walked in, the door closing behind him. “It’s me.” He said aloud, glancing around. He moved toward her bed and peered around it. He knew better than most that she tucked herself into corners when she needed to calm.

Sara was curled up on the floor between her bed and the window. She was staring motionless out the window, red around the eyes, disheveled and looking exhausted. She wasn’t crying, she wasn’t doing anything, she just stared. Though whether or not she’d cried at all, he didn’t need to ask.

Kallo sighed and sat with her, getting comfortable on the floor as quietly as possible. She barely acknowledged him, just a little movement when she noticed he was there.

“Sara?” Her eyes closed with a slow sigh. She uncurled just a little, leaning back into her bedframe, still staring out the window. Kallo held out his hand, and she wasted no time in taking it with trembling fingers. He squeezed in his best attempt to be comforting. “Talk to me.”

It took her a few minutes to find the words, to use her voice. When she finally did it was quiet, barely above a whisper. Her voice… she sounded so tired.

“How?” She finally managed. “Dad promised so many things. He made us believe that things would be… better here. A new galaxy. A new home. He said we’d see amazing things. But… Now dad’s dead. Scott is still in his coma. The Nexus is still in shambles. And through all this, my father thought I was suited for this? He thought I was ready?” She shook her head, “And those poor families on the Nexus. Waiting for their families to wake up. Waking up only for their family to already be dead. Blaming that on their Pathfinder; and they’re totally right. And here I have to remain impartial. Keep the peace.” She squeezed his hand, “And the Angara. The Kett turning them into slaves, it’s monstrous. They’re monsters. God, I’m not a soldier Kal. At this point I’m barely an Engineer. I’d never even shot anything before Habitat 7.” She looked so lost, so scared, it crushed him. “How did all this become so… convoluted?” 

“Nobody expected this.” He told her, but he didn’t think it would help. What could he possibly say?

Her grip was nearly painful on his hand, but he didn’t move. “…I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”

“Hey, hey.” Kallo shifted and touched her shoulder, making her turn her attention to him. He looked her in the eye, “It’s not like you’re on this ship by yourself. We have a good crew here. You’ve done well so far; your dad would be proud of what you have already accomplished. We can do this; _you_ can do this.”

“But-”

“Sara. _You can_.”

She let out a long sigh, and he saw her eyes brighten very slightly. For him, it was enough. He smiled at her and ran his thumb along the back of her hand. “Sit tight.” He told her, “I’ll go make us some tea, then I’ll come back.”

Sara managed a small smile. “You know me so well.” He let go of her hand and stood up, “Thanks Kal. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Ah, you’d be fine!” He grinned, “You’d just be down some really good tea.”

“Tragic.” He chuckled and left for the kitchen. Sara relaxed, just a little; he did have that way of helping her breathe, and she could never be more grateful for that. 

-

The Nexus was coming along nicely. It was bright, people from the Hyperion were immigrating smoothly, and there seemed to be a relative order in day to day workings.

Kallo saw Sara waiting at a balcony, looking at the time on her omni-tool. She was watching the hustle and bustle of the Docking Bay below.

“Sara?” She turned when she heard him, smiling yet confused at the same time. 

“Hey Kal.”

“You’re here by yourself? Liam said we were all supposed to meet here.”

Sara shrugged, “Figured they were coming with you. I was here early, had business with Kesh this morning. What did Liam say, ‘a day in Vortex’?”

“Liam’s not one to miss drinks.”

Sara thought for a minute, humming quietly to herself. “Well then.” She moved over to a nearby bench and sat down, Kallo on her heels. “I am nothing if not suspicious.”

“So..?”

“Being part of the team that built the Tempest has it’s perks, as you well know.” She winked at him as she fiddles with her personal datapad. She entered some codes, and after a moment a layout of the Tempest appeared.

A smile began to form on Kallo’s face, “You’re hacking your own security codes.”

“I’m hacking my own security codes.” She had the smuggest grin on her face as Kallo began to laugh. She pulled up the security camera’s live feed, and there they were, the entire crew was on board.

_“Come on Liam, you can’t expect us to stay here.”_

_“We can’t be seen on the Nexus! If either of them see us the plan is ruined. Mind you, I worked very hard to keep them in the dark.”_

“Oh my god, Liam set us up.”

“I was not expecting that.”

“Hang on.” Sara’s grin was damn near evil, “Our internal circuitry and supply crates are waterproof. And I can seal off the crew quarters.”

“... Oh that’s terrible.”

“Chaos is my middle name.”

Sara broke right through her own algorithms with ease, knowing them by heart. She pulled up an entire control board of the Tempest’s internal sprinkler systems, alarms and other general annoyances. Sara cracked her knuckles and set to work.

She found Liam in the kitchen on the security cameras. “Liam will appreciate our ingenuity!” Immediately, she set off the sprinklers above him. Liam shrieked as ice cold water sprayed down on him, soaking him almost immediately. He ran out into the hallway. The entire crew heard his yelling.

 _“What the hell?!”_ Sara then set off sprinklers surrounding the hallway, just barely missing Vetra, who had climbed the ladder to the upper hallway. Liam bolted to the Cargo bay, and Sara set off every sprinkler system after him, all throughout the cargo bay and up to the meeting room.

The rest of the crew very quickly caught on, and had made haste for the Bridge. Liam ran for it, but they shut the door right in his face. Sara burst out laughing.

 _“Aw come on guys! Let me in! It’s cold!”_ He called through the coms. On the camera, they saw Peebee and Gil on the floor crying with laughter. The rest were varied levels of amused,

_“Sorry Liam. The water would follow you!”_

Sara gasped for air, and Kallo grasped her arm. “Sara, Sara!” He pointed, “The Bridge is soundproof.”

Sara fell right back into crying bouts of laughter, handing the pad to him. He eagerly took it and set off the alarms everywhere but the bridge. Liam sighed, accepting his defeat, making his way back to the kitchen. 

Sara was nearly falling off the bench, laughing so hard she couldn’t even breathe. Kallo laughed with her as he put all her algorithms back into place. The Tempest was secure once more. He shook his head and Sara covered her face, trying to stop the laughter.

“Brutal.” He told her.

“I-I kno-ow!” She managed through heaving breaths, nodding furiously. After a minute she began to calm down, wiping the tears from her eyes and taking deeper breaths. “Alright. Okay.” She managed, standing up with only a slight amount of wobbling. “Now the day begins!”

“Begins?”

“Yeah. Liam’s soaked and we get to go get some food. Best date I’ve ever been on.”

Kallo stopped and stared after her for a moment. She stopped in turn, a little confused, and waited.

“... Is that what we’re calling this?” He asked her. She smiled at him and shrugged her shoulders,

“We don’t need to call it anything if you don’t want to Kal. I--”

“No, no.” Sara walked back to him, “That’s not what I meant. Just didn’t know you were actually… interested?”

“Really? I thought I was being painfully obvious and that I was the only one who was clueless. Lexi pointed it out to me yesterday. Even Jaal was asking me.”

Kallo blinked a few times, and he realized it. The phrase sounded… natural. Then he smiled at her. 

“If this is a date, we’re getting something better than cafeteria food.” Sara grinned as they continued on their way.

“Deal."


	3. Indescribable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short oneshot from Kallo's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this ship still kills me. I can't get away, i love them too much <3 the romance we all deserved

At first, he thinks she’s just a friend. Kallo enjoyed her company, they had already known each other for years and he had no trouble talking with her about everything. It was natural. 

They got on very well, and he never tires of her voice or her stories. He notices the little glances, a softer smile, a tiny blush and makes no connection; just a normal human range of expressions, he was sure.

But time passes by, and Kallo still cant remember exactly when it started.

Maybe it was the quirky comments that came over coms. The light banter that was sometimes cut off by gunfire. He would stiffen, just a little, until her voice came back to finish her thought as if guns had never been involved. And he’d sigh quietly, throw some sarcasm back at her, as if he could ignore the nervousness.

Perhaps it was whenever she created something new, coded a new program or built a new little machine. When she’d run in to chat with him about it, excited and proud; and the little hitch in his breaths that followed her giggles.

It could easily have been her passion for life. How she lived every moment like there wouldn’t be another, how she gave her all in every situation big or small. How much she cared about the people who surrounded her, and how much they came to care for her in turn. Every day she’d check on him, and he’d stare after her as she left.

Though, if asked, he’d say it was the moments no one else knew about. When it seemed everyone else in the Universe was asleep but them. When Sara’s nightmares were too visceral to sleep through, she would catch him working at the bridge as the crew slept, bringing him tea and a tired smile. He asked sometimes, other times he wouldn’t pry. She would sit with him and Kallo would ask her, “Where do you want to go?” and Sara would give him that sideways smile and say “Somewhere amazing.”. The nights that Kallo would fly the Tempest to orbit fiery worlds, find her a comet to watch, or float silently in a field of Element Zero. The nights where it was just them, and he would ignore that tiny little voice in the back of his mind that gave him reasons why his heart would beat faster.

In the end, it was all new to him. Feelings that he wouldn’t have recognized had the crew not taken matters into their own hands. After all, such feelings were never discussed between his people, and it seemed to him that the crew took great pleasure in making him flustered the more they brought it up.

Sara’s favorite place to be wasn’t the Nexus. It wasn’t Aya, or Harval. Funnily enough, it was Eos. Sure the sand was annoying but she found that easy enough to deal with. He got used to her requests of taking the Tempest out into the middle of nowhere, landing in the desert sands far away. No Kett, no Colonists, nothing but the Tempest for miles in all directions. 

The crew quickly made a habit of building up a bonfire in the middle of the desert once the sun had set, where they would play music from a collection of cultures and (upon Drack’s wish) barbecue their dinner. Liam took to bringing marshmallows, and showed them how to roast them over the fire and create smores, telling stories as their laughter carried across the empty landscape. It became a new crew favorite, and they enjoyed this time together every so often.

However, most of the time Kallo caught Sara stargazing. Sometimes other members of the crew were with her, but she was usually alone laying in the sand or sitting on the rocks. Kallo started to join her, just another little routine that was so relaxing. A way to escape. There was absolutely no light this far out into the desert, as the air cooled with night and the stars above them awoke, trillions of blinking dots that, somehow, reminded them of home. They would name random constellations, or chat about missions. Many nights they were simply comfortable in the silence.

He would think to himself about what to say. How to say it. What should he tell her? Perhaps he could detail every single moment that she was on his mind. He could tell her about those months without her, when things got hard he’d picture her smile and he would calm; the nights he simply asked for her safe return. He could describe how much she meant to him, how his heart clenched whenever she left the safety of the ship. How he wanted nothing more in this life than to be next to her, to live his life with her, that she had given him so much reason to keep his bearings. That it didn’t matter what happened; he couldn’t bare to be without her. He was certain there was a word for this, but it was a word he’d never learned to say. No one had ever taught him how to love another.

And yet she’d touch his hand, give him that smile and it was as if words no longer mattered. As if they were the only two that existed in the silence. And maybe he denies it later, maybe he plays it like she made the first move; but he would always remember that sudden boost of confidence, that one moment when he told himself that life was too short to hesitate. When he kissed her (a human form of affection, as he recalled) under the stars they both adored and felt so warm.

Maybe love was something she’d taught him all along. Or maybe it was something that couldn’t be learned at all. Maybe, just maybe, it was something a little more natural. Something indescribable. A single word that he would gladly explore by her side.


	4. Prompt #1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reading a book together - Kallo/Sara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some prompts will be shorter or longer depending on the ideas I get. =)

He found her late one night, curled up with a hot cup of tea and reading a paperback book.

Sara had made herself comfortable against the observation window in her room. She didn’t mind being on the floor at all, the stars out the window as a perfect and peaceful backdrop.

Sara was quick to catch him watching her, a smile on her face and a brow raised. “Long day.” He mentioned with a shrug. He walked over when she motioned for him to do so.

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Sara chuckled, moving forward enough to give him space. Kallo sat down behind her and let her settle back into his chest, where he could read the book over her shoulder. 

“ _’The Science of Exploration’_?” 

“One of my old man’s books.” She nodded, giving him a side-eye when he snatched her cup of tea and took a sip. “It was his fascination that brought me here. I just wouldn’t give my family the benefit of hearing me say that out loud.”

“Never let it be said that Sara Ryder was unprepared.” He grinned, arms wrapping beneath hers.

“Damn straight. Dad would roll in his grave.”

“Is this proving helpful?”

Sara snorted, “It sure doesn’t cover interstellar travel, hostile gun-wielding aliens or an artificial cloud of death. I see now where my dad pooled his linear thinking.”

“And?”

“… And it’s damn enlightening.” She cleared her throat and began to read aloud, allowing the stresses of the day to roll away into the quiet infinite.


	5. Prompt #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Accidentally falling asleep together - Kallo/Sara

“Shit shit _shit_!”

A science officer’s voice was prominent over coms as Sara, Jaal and Liam were cleaning up the last of the Kett in the area.

“Someone give me a report.” She ordered, revving the Nomad’s engines as soon as her squad jumped in.

“This is Kallo. We’re with the colonists but there seems to be a problem.”

“What is it?”

The science officer came back, sounding slightly panicked. “All four of our transports are damaged and we only have one apprentice engineer, our lead is dead. These colonists need medical attention from the Nexus, they’ll die if we don’t get these ships back in the air. Our ships are too small to take them all on one transport.”

The Nomad was near flying over the landscape. “Calling all Tempest coms. Kallo, I need you and Gil to take two of those ships. Their engineer will take the third, Jaal will assist him, I’ll take the fourth when we get back. I want the critically injured taken to the Tempest’s medbay, everyone else needs to give Lexi and these colonists any help and supplies necessary. Suvi, track the remaining Kett drop-ships, if they get anywhere within ten miles of us I want to know immediately, and contact the Nexus to prep their critical care units. Nomad’s ETA: ten minutes, move it!”

“Yes Pathfinder!”

Ten minutes later the Tempest came to a skidding stop outside the makeshift camp. Lexi had set up all of her equipment outside the Tempest, as the medbay was too small for the number of injured. Vetra was on her heels carrying supplies. Peebee was rushing around moving colonist supplies around and out of the way, while Cora and Drack were building up makeshift defenses against Kett stranglers, shooting any that tried to charge them. Liam jumped in to help with the defenses while Sara and Jaal made a beeline for the smoking shuttles.

“Drop ships incoming! Nine miles out!” Suvi’s voice came.

“Everyone on the defenses!” Sara yelled as she worked, “We’ll continue with the shuttles!”

The gunfire outside was loud and intense, but not enough to distract. Kallo was finished with his shuttle the fastest, moving to help Sara’s repairs. Gil was quick to follow in assisting Jaal.

Sara jumped back from an electrical discharge. “Damn! They took one hell of a beating.”

“Stuck on this fuel leak.” Kallo told her.

“I’ve got the surge, just make sure we don’t burn in here.”

Kallo laughed, “This is oddly familiar, it’s it?”

“From our days working on the Tempest? Sure is.” Sara grinned, 

“Back when we almost overlooked a radiation hazard.”

“And nearly crashed into Luna. Teon would be convulsing if he saw this mess.”

“Luckily we’re the ones that came here to deal with messes.”

“Luckily?” Sara snorted. 

“It’s a relative term.” She laughed at that, easing the tension just enough to make their hands move a little faster.

By the time the sun was setting the Tempest was packed up, and Kallo used the ship to draw Kett attention away from the fleeing shuttles. Then Kallo hid the Tempest in a nearby Asteroid belt, completely hidden from Kett scanners. As soon as the Ship powered down, everyone collapsed.

Most of the crew managed to find their beds or the nearest comfy corner. Only Lexi was still up, checking on everyone and making sure everyone was uninjured and accounted for.

She found Kallo and Sara on the bridge. Sara was still in her armor, curled into a ball beside Kallo’s chair and sleeping up against it. Kallo had fallen asleep in his chair, both breathing soundly. Lexi noticed Kallo and Sara’s joined hands and smiled to herself, leaving the bridge just as quietly as she had come, retreating to the med bay and letting the Tempest sleep.


	6. React to Contact (Read the summary for warnings)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the quest “Hunting the Archon” has some... very... extremely horrific and heinous stuff in it. Really bad shit. And I felt like Ryder was very blase’ about the whole thing so I needed to rectify that. This is how Sara reacted, with Kallo there. 
> 
> Warnings for: Angst, blood mention, slight spoilers, nightmares, emotional trauma.

Before it all went to shit, she was the one always comforting him. 

Kallo tried very hard to focus on the mission at hand. To not allow his worry to cloud his judgement. But then there were the night when he couldn't stop thinking about it. When he'd think about the Kett and tremble in fear for his people.

The nights were the hardest, when everything was silent and he had time to think about it. He couldn't have been more grateful for Sara; she stayed with him, held him, helped him to refocus himself. She promised that she would find the Salarian Ark, no matter what, and he believed her.

It's almost funny how quickly everything can change.

_

“Kallo?”

Kallo turned in his pilot’s seat to Lexi’s voice. The doctor approached him, sparing no glances anywhere else, a concerned expression on her face. 

“Lexi? What’s the matter?”

“I need your help.” She sighed. Kallo stood, his concern beginning to rise. “Sara, she’s… she locked herself in her room without a medical examination. I’ve knocked and yelled, tried her coms, got Drack to pound on her door, he nearly knocked it down. She’s not answering anyone.”

“That’s not like her.”

“No. I’m very worried about her. Can you try to get through to her, get her to answer you?”

“Absolutely.” Kallo nodded with devout seriousness. “I’ll do anything.”

“Thank you.” Lexi breathed, leading the way to her door. They climbed down the ladders; Drack was still in the hallway, accompanied by both Jaal and Vetra. They all seemed rather concerned, staring at her door. “Anything?” Lexi asked them.

“She will not answer us.” Jaal told her. Lexi hummed in concern, turning to the door.

Kallo didn’t bother to knock, he went straight to coms. “Sara?” He called, “Sara, it’s Kallo. We need you to open the door love. Are you okay?”

Nothing. Her room was completely soundproof, and they got no response over the coms. Not even static. “Sara?” He looked to Lexi, concerned and perplexed at the lack of response.

“I’m not surprised.” Vetra mentioned quietly. “What we saw in there was… was…”

“Horrific.” Jaal supplied, the anger prominent in his voice, his hands turning to fists and his jaw set tightly. “Barbaric. Monstrous.”

“And Sara is not military. She wouldn’t have been prepared.” Lexi added, scrubbing her eyes. “Damn those Kett bastards.”

Kallo took a moment for a deep breath, then switched to a new com channel. “SAM? I require an emergency response.”

After a few crackles of static, there was an answer. “Hello Kallo. I apologize for being unavailable. My function has been solely focused on Sara.”

“SAM, we need an update.” Kallo told him, “How is Sara? Is she injured in any way?”

“Physically, Sara only suffered minor injuries on Archon’s ship. She overworked her biotics and she is in pain from bruising and her revival, but she suffered no serious injuries.”

“That’s good… Wait, revival?”

“We’ll explain later Kallo.”

“However,” SAM cut in, “Sara is currently suffering extreme emotional trauma. She has refused all contact with me. I fear for her mental well being.”

“We can’t leave her alone.” Lexi said immediately, “This is serious. Someone needs to work this through with her, she could very well hurt herself trying to process alone.”

“SAM, can you open the door?” Kallo asked.

“I can, but I recommend that only Kallo enters. I noticed a slight neural reaction to your voice, and I believe your presence will be the least stressful.”

“That’s fine.” Kallo nodded, “Just open the door.”

“Very well.”

The door opened to a dark room. Sara wasn’t really visible, but they could hear angry muttering within. With a short glance, Kallo walked into her room, the door shutting and locking behind him.

Sara was pacing back and forth. The floor of her room was littered with her armor pieces and her guns. He noticed they were heavily stained in fresh Kett blood, with burn and bullet marks prominent. Had she not had strong barriers…

Kallo forced his eyes away from her armor, sickened just by the sight. Sara was still pacing, trying to work the final pieces of armor from her forearms and having no luck. Her hands were shaking and she couldn’t manipulate the buckles.

Kallo moved to intercept her, grabbing her hand to stop her. She did indeed stop, and her arms went limp as he began to work the buckles for her. She wouldn’t look at him, just stared at the floor. He couldn’t even speak, too concerned, his heart breaking for her.

He got one of them off, then took her other hand to work the second. As he finished, Sara spotted something on the floor. Her gloves, soaked in blood.

All of the air rushed out of her lungs in a split second, and Kallo saw the horror engulfing her face; as if she was just realizing what she had seen, what she had heard. As if the world had crashed down on top of her.

She seemed to lose all strength, falling back several steps into the wall behind her. Kallo dropped the last piece of armor and followed her, unsure of what he should do. Sara fell to her knees, her head into her hands, and she began to sob. He could tell she was both crying and panicking, and without anything else he could do, he gathered her into his arms and held her tightly. She shook, screamed and sobbed for hours, and he stayed for every moment, trying (and failing) to not envision what she must have witnessed.

The next few days were terribly difficult for Sara, but she remembered enough to know that Kallo was her saving grace. When she was too exhausted to cry anymore she passed out. In that time Kallo gathered up her armor and got it all out of her room. Lexi had taken some time to get some food for both of them, and Kallo flew the Tempest back to the Nexus. 

After touching down in the docking bay he went back to her room and stayed with her. She slept in shorter increments, yet barely moved even when awake. She muttered a few words now and again, but was otherwise completely shut down. He felt lucky enough that he was able to convince her to eat and hydrate.

The nightmares were tame at first. She hadn’t processed enough, hadn’t had enough time. It took a few days, time to build up before it got worse. The talking in her sleep, the panic attacks. A few days after getting to the Nexus, he was laying in bed with her when it started. Sara’s breaths started coming faster, her limbs tensing up, her face contorting into a mixture of pain, fear and stress. She fisted her hands into the blankets and began to mutter in her sleep. Kallo held her tightly and waited.

He was startled when her words became sharp and perfectly clear, getting louder with each breath. She started curling in on herself with the words, calling for something that wasn’t there. 

He sat up when she began to yell, worry etched in his face. “ _No._ ” She said over and over again, panicked and desperate. “ _No, don’t hurt him! Leave them alone!_ ” 

“Sara.” Kallo grabbed her shoulder and shook it, trying to wake her without success. Her words got louder, “Sara!”

“ _Please no! Don’t hurt them! **NO!**_ ” With the final word, screamed at the top of her lungs, she bolted straight up, her eyes blowing wide, startling Kallo; he almost didn’t move back in time for her to not hit him.

Sara’s hands flew to her chest and her neck, feeling everywhere across her body as if she had been injured and finding nothing there. She looked terrified, her breaths ragged, her entire body shaking.

Kallo moved to sit in front of her, taking her shoulders and squeezing, giving her something to focus on beside her own panic. “Sara? You’re safe hun, it’s okay.”

Her hands fisted in her tank top, creating a barrier to her heart with her own arms. She wasn’t looking at his face, more towards his chest, her eyes darting just slightly. 

“The-the-the screams.” She muttered, “Screams, the screams. They were all dying, he was killing them, he-he… I-I-I couldn’t save them, we left them behind, we left them!”

Kallo squeezed her shoulders. “Sara, you need to breathe. You saved them.”

“No I didn’t!” Her hands found their way to his arms, her grip tight, as if she was holding him for dear life. “We could hear them! They were screaming! And we left them! And he… He… hurt you.”

“What?”

She looked him in the eye, a death-grip on his arms. “He killed you!” Tears welled in her eyes and she scanned his face, realizing that he really was there in front of her, safe.

Kallo moved his hands to gently cup her face, keeping her eyes locked to his. “No he didn’t.” He told her, “I’m here, you see? I’m right here.” 

“I… I couldn’t-”

“You did everything you could.” He told her, kissing her forehead. “We’re all very proud of what you accomplished. You’ve done more than enough. It’s okay.” He let out a breath. “They’re… safe. Safe in the infinite. It’s okay.”

Her grip loosened enough for him to move. He hugged her and let her breath, telling her to count her breaths, letting her calm.

After awhile, she took in a long breath. “I’m going to kill him.” She muttered. Her tone had shifted completely, from terror to complete and utter rage. Her grip on him tightened again. “I am going to end him. He will not take our people. Never again.”

Kallo let out a breath and chose not to answer, just held her tighter and rubbed her back, trying to be as comforting as he could. Letting her say what she needed to say. Letting her process.

After that night she started doing better. She finally agreed to get herself a real meal, go and talk to Lexi, and she got back into contact with her fellow Pathfinders. Turns out too many people had been looking for her, but there seemed to be a fair amount of understanding that accompanied her return to minimal routine. She wasn’t quite ready to leave the Tempest, but it was progress. 

Raeka came by the Tempest some time later, and she joined Sara, Jaal, Lexi and Vetra to privately talked through everything they’d seen. To deal with all of their emotions with Lexi’s help, to try and allow themselves to move past the void.

Eventually, Sara needed to leave the Tempest for a meeting with Nexus leaders. She didn't even need to ask him; Kallo accompanied her through the Nexus, hand-in-hand.

“I'm sorry about all this.” She told him quietly as they walked, squeezing his hand.

“You're sorry? You should be the last person who's sorry.”

“I just interrupted your work so much, and--”

“No you didn't. The crew took care of everything.” He told her, “You’re far more important. Loving someone means being there when things get bad. I don’t mind at all.” With the words he was finally able to see a small smile form on her face. 

“Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He grinned and moved his arm around her shoulders. “So what’s this about overusing your biotics huh? I thought you rarely used them.”

“That’s true.” Sara nodded, “I guess I was just so angry in the moment, I wanted to punch things. So, biotics.”

“Okay, and what about a Revival? Don’t tell me that means what I think it means.”

“Well… you see…” Sara chuckled nervously, nestling a little more into his side. “We got stuck in Archon’s stasis field. After he left, the only way for us to escape it to get to the artifact and save the Ark was to… stop my heart. SAM’s idea.”

“... SAM killed you?”

“And then revived me. A calculated risk, it was the only way to get out.”

“... You are too goddamn reckless for your own good.” Kallo shook his head, “Dare I ask you to never do that again?”

“Oh believe me, SAM has strict orders to never do it again.”

“Good.” He stopped outside of Pathfinder HQ, “I’ll wait for you.”

She let out a long breath, seeming to be in physical pain of having to go inside. “Might as well get it over with.” With a squeeze of the hand, she entered into the HQ for her meeting.

Kallo didn’t have long to wait, next thing he knew Sara was flying out of HQ, coming to a skidding stop upon remembered he was still there, jumping on her toes.

“Scott woke up!” She told him, a smile on her face that was larger than he’d seen since Archon’s Ship. “I’ll call you, promise!” With that she ran off, and Kallo laughed to himself. Leave it to fate to give her just the boost she needed.

“Aha!” Kallo was startled, jumping backward. Sara’s fellow Pathfinders were leaving HQ, and the Asari Vaderia was grinning right at him. “The rumors were true, you _are_ dating! I knew it! Pay up Avitus.” The Turian grumbled and gave her some credits, while Raeka shook her head with a smirk.

“...Rumors?” Kallo asked incredulously. 

Raeka shrugged, “Seems word travels fast in the Nexus.”

“Geez.” Kallo sighed outright, “Better not tell Sara that, she’ll light some fires.”

“After that meeting I’d say she’s going to start them anyway.”

“... Should I be concerned?” He asked at the Pathfinders began to leave.

“Nope!” They told him. Kallo couldn’t help but admit; he had heard things much stranger than that.

He went back to the Tempest to wait. When Sara returned she had that look on her face, a defiance and renewed drive, with an insane plan to thwart Nexus leadership themselves and take Meridian right out from under the Archon.

He knew then that she would truly recover.


	7. React to Contact, p2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A short continuation of React to Contact, highlighting the "Truth and Trespass" quest line.
> 
> Warnings for: death mention, blood mention, torture mention, experimentation mention

She thought it was behind them. She thought she wouldn’t have to relive what she’d seen on Archon’s ship, but apparently the past refused to leave her.

She’d been contacted by a former STG agent, Saelen Varn. He had thoughts that someone had betrayed the Salarian Ark to the Kett, and needed hard proof. At first Sara was all too happy to help, to find the bastard and find justice for those who had died. Dr. Aden was the target, and she intended to make good.

And now, there he was; the doctor himself, admitting his guilt to her face.

“Several of us woke early, prepped the Ark… and then we found the Kett. An unstoppable enemy.” He told her. She didn’t see nearly enough guilt on his face. “So we made a pact. Sacrifice our Ark to the Kett, and learn their secrets, so one day we could destroy them along with their exaltation.”

“You sacrificed thousands of sleeping colonists for the possibility of information?”

“Listen. Without the Archon, it’s only a matter of time before the Kett empire truly invades Heleus. The secrets we learned--”

“Were. Not. Worth. It.” Sara growled. She glanced to Saelen, who looked infuriated and disgusted. Then she stepped forward, got right in his face with a glare none of her crew had ever seen on her face before. “You. Do you realize how many people died on Archon’s ship? How many were experimented on, tortured, all while still alive, then thrown away like trash?” She resisted every urge to knock him dead. “Thousands, doctor. Death by combat would have been the softest way to go. No amount of information was worth the torment they endured. Their blood is on your hands. You’re damn lucky I don’t think you’re worth a bullet, death would be far too kind a punishment for you.”

“I vote for locking him away and losing the key.” Saelen stepped forward. “He’ll have the rest of his life to think about it.”

“It’d be safer to throw him out the airlock.” Vetra supplied.

“No. Take him away, Major. Make sure he never sees the light of day again.”

The doctor was desperate, “You arrest me, and you’ll never find the others!”

“I’ve got nothing but time to look.” Saelen told him, “I’m retired, remember?”

“And if you need anything, you have my support.” Sara nodded, still glaring at Aden.

“Thank you, Ryder. We all owe you.”

-

Kallo was waiting for her when she returned from the Kadara hills. The look on her face was so filled with disgust and rage, the likes of which he’d never seen. He shut the door so she wouldn’t have to worry about listening ears.

“So?”

Sara growled, leaning heavily into the table. “That damn doctor. He sold out the Ark. Him and several of the leaders, they just gave up their people to obtain information on the Kett, hoping for some kind of magical way to defeat them. Damn murderers is all they are, trading innocents for information that may not have been accurate in the first place.”

Kallo sighed, scrubbing his eyes, having expect this but not prepared for it. “That’s what the Salarian Ark was worth to our officers? Thousands of lives for, what, a future advantage over the Kett?”

“No amount of lives was worth it.” She shook her head, “He’s going to be locked away. He’ll never be free again.” A choked laugh managed to leave her as she tried to process it, “I wanted to put a fucking bullet in his gut, let him bleed out like those thousands he sacrificed. He’s lucky I’m saving mine for Archon.”

“Probably a good thing you didn’t. Let the Salarian people deal with him. You’re a better person than I am, Sara.” He moved to encircle his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him instinctively, “I’d have toasted Aden in our thruster exhaust.”

“... I’m so sorry Kallo. I hope that finding him, locking him away… I don’t know, makes it easier. I wanted this to be over with, but--”

“It does help.” He assured her, “The dead and their families have some justice now. That’s all any can ask for.” He kissed her head, “Thank you. I knew we could all count on you.”


	8. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallo and Sara, before and after the final battle in ME:A

**Before~**

He found her on the Bridge, all by herself staring at their star charts. She leaned heavily into the navigational console, looking pretty exhausted, but also determined.

“You had me worried, you know.” He told her, accidentally startling her in the process. She turned to him with an apologetic smile, trying not to look as tired as she had a moment ago.

“I have mastered the art of coming back from the dead.”

“I’d laugh if it wasn’t you who was dying over and over.”

She sighed, “Sorry. Trying to process I guess.” His gaze softened, and he went to her, taking her hand when he got close. “This is… it. It’s time.” She squeezed his hand, “Everything we’ve been working for. It comes down to this.”

“You say that like you don’t have any faith in the work we’ve done.” He told her.

“No, that’s not it. I’m just thinking about what happens after all this.”

Kallo smiled, nudging her enough for her to focus on him. “After this we go back to doing what a Pathfinder is meant to do. Explore, discover, create.”

Sara managed to smile, “That is what we wanted when this whole thing started, isn’t it.”

“Well the only thing _I_ want right now is for you to come back from this alive.” He pulled her in closer, bent enough to touch her forehead with his. Her eyes closed, “Come back to me. Everything else can wait.”

She giggled, the tension melting from her shoulders, “Kallo Jath being patient? That’s shocking.”

“I’m willing to try it for you.”

“So long as you don’t crash my ship in the mess, I’ll come back. That cabin won’t occupy itself.”

“You’re ship?” She kissed him, short and sweet, with that sly grin that she wore so well, “That’s an unfair argument.”

“You can make your own once this is all over.”

“Oh I plan to, believe me.” She laughed, and that was all he needed.

-

**After~**

The loud festivities were fun, sure. Kallo enjoyed the light atmosphere, the laughter and the smiles that came with peace. That came with the beauty that was Meridian. But for him there was a different beauty on his mind.

Behind mountains of paperwork, recovery and repair, he and Sara hadn’t been able to spend much time in person. So now that the world was finally letting her go, he sent her a nav point, a quiet corner without the wandering ear, and waited. He was almost too excited that it was nearly time to return to the Tempest, to return to their true duties; to explore Andromeda. To be with her. That was something he had gladly waited for.

He saw Sara approaching, yet she hadn’t spotted him. When she got close enough he reached out and grabbed her hand before she ever noticed him. She didn’t have time to even say a word, he pulled her in and kissed her; every moment of fear, every breath of excitement, the monumental feeling of relief all put into it, and she melted.

When they finally broke to breathe, she let out a rather startled and amazed laugh, “Was that your rebuttal?” She asked him.

“Yes, yes it was.”

The grin refused to leave her face, “You win.”

Though there were a thousand thing to do, it was strangely perfect; the quiet time between, the moments that made them feel as if they were the only two in existence. The joy that came from being in each other’s arms, so started by a chance to work on a ship none had dared build before them.

“So… what about after?” She asked him with an expectant glint to her eyes. He took a long breath, feigned needing to think about it, for there was rarely a moment he didn’t stop to consider it these days. There was a rather good reason to look forward.

“Lets see… A little bit of mischief, a thousand worlds no one has ever seen before, some sunsets, a pretty girl to sweep off her feet. And then, retirement with a view of the waterfalls and comparatively boring part-time work in mathematical engineering just to keep ourselves busy?”

“Really? I expected you to accept a big promotion, pilot an Ark for a while, bigger more impressive ships while I putter along in the poor old Tempest.”

“I considered it, but keeping my own ship is too big an opportunity to pass up. After all this, I've come to understand what you do much better.”

“It's not too late for a career change.”

Kallo scoffed, “You can deal with the mud, I'll stick to my nice warm ship.” She giggled, a sound he thought he couldn't love more. “I don't pretend to understand everything. But what I do know is that I'm not letting anyone else fly you out beyond the edge of the map. It's a privilege to remain your pilot; sorry, you're stuck with me.”

“You just like the Pathfinder’s cabin.”

“It's a very nice cabin!”

Sara rolled her eyes, “Oh alright, I _guess_ you can come along.” She tugged at his collar, “There's no one else I'd rather do this with.”

“And there's no one better suited to being Pathfinder.” He kissed her again, just because he could, just because he wanted to. Because for the first time, it felt like they really had time.

“The party will start missing us.” She managed eventually.

“The party can wait.” And she laughed; nothing, no moment in time, could have ever been more perfect.


	9. Prompt #3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couch on the bridge of Tempest for Star gazing

“The cables are shot.”

Groans emanated from the couch as the crew heard her news. Sara was fiddling with the TV, trying to get it to come on; it would not. 

“Definitely the cables.”

“Can you fix it?” Vetra asked her.

“It’ll take me some time to rig this up. I think it’ll still start.”

“Boo.” Gil threw a carnal of popcorn at the blank TV. “So what now?”

Kallo drummed his fingers for a moment in thought before standing. He left the room quietly and up to the bridge. A minute later the crew noticed the Tempest moving through space and thought little of it.

“To think I was actually looking forward to a bad movie.”

“Hey, I picked a good one!”

“Sure.”

“Hey,” Liam cut in, completely turned around looking out the windows of Sara’s room. “Check that out.”

Everyone but Sara turned to the window. The Tempest was approaching a nebula, streaks of colors beginning to pass by the window. With a few glances, the crew quickly turned the couch and chairs around and set up their snacks to watch as the Tempest flew through the vibrant colors.

Kallo reached the destination he wanted; a large comet that was flying through the nebula. The Tempest stopped alongside this comet as it streaked though, surrounded by colors and light and wonder that had the crew grinning at the sight. A few moments later, he joined them.

“Well would you look at that.”

“Good call, kid.”

Minutes later, the TV powered on. “There! It’s…” Sara looked over to her crew, “…fixed.” The crew was happily chatting away, eating snacks, watching the Comet outside. They were all completely content, laughing and enjoying the time together. Sara couldn’t help but smile.

She quietly moved to take a seat on the floor next to Kallo, leaning into him as his arm circled her shoulders. “Looks like I sure missed something.” She said quietly. 

“Hmm. I wouldn’t say you missed anything.” He told her, “It’s only just beginning.”


	10. Life Expectancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little fic about an alternative memory Sara would have seen, one that takes place in my personal ME:A timeline

“Hello Sara. One of your father’s memories has been unlocked.”

“Alright, lets see it.”

“This memory is one you will recognize.”

-

_“Alec, hurry up.”_

_Alec was moving across the room, setting down a datapad he had been reading. He joined Ellen in front of a monitor, where a call was just connecting. It was Sara’s face that popped up onto the screen, her smile wide for them._

_“Hi mom, dad.”_

_“Hello sweetheart, we got your message.” Ellen was positively delighted to be speaking to her daughter, “How’s your work for the Alliance? Are you making progress?”_

_“Yes, just yesterday I helped to code a new set of launch codes out of Luna Base.”_

_“That’s wonderful dear, you should be proud.”_

_“I guess. It’d be nice if a little more respect was thrown my way. I think my age bothers those old groaners up in HQ.”_

_“That’s how I felt when I first started out.” Alec told her, “You wait it out long enough and they’ll start backing off, prove you can do the work.”_

_“Yeah well, about that.” Sara shook her head, “There was something I wanted to talk to you about. I got this strange call from a lady named Jein Garson? She said she knew you, dad.”_

_“Yeah, she’s been interested in my work in AI.”_

_“Well she contacted me last night. Told me about this Initiative she’s running, the Andromeda Initiative? Said they were building advanced scouting and research ships and that they need a Mathematician.”_

_“That’s a perfect job for you, you love ships.”_

_“That’s what I was thinking, but the way she contacted me was… I don’t know, it was strange. They’re starting the blueprinting on Sur’Kesh, the Salarians have thousands of Mathematicians but she contacted me instead. I found that strange. Have you heard of this Initiative?”_

_“Garson talks about it every so often. She’s been considering incorporating AI technology into their plans but I don’t know much about it beyond that. The Initiative is headed for Andromeda, someday.”_

_“Okay… well, I really like this job detail. You know I’ve always wanted to work on ships, and this seems like a perfect opportunity to branch out. I’m just concerned, what if this isn’t legit?”_

_“The Initiative is legit, I can promise you that.”_

_Ellen jumped in, “And you don’t have to involve yourself beyond building this ship. You can apply for new work once it’s built.”_

_“Yeah… well if I do accept, I’d be on my way to Sur’Kesh next week. Maybe we could get ahold of Scott, have dinner before then?”_

_“I’ll look into it.” Alec promised her. “What about the doctors? Did you make your appointment?”_

_“I saw Doctor Carlson a few days ago.”_

_“And? What did he say?”_

_Sara sighed, frowning at him. “Dad, you know the answer.”_

_“What did he say?” Alec asked a little more insistently. Sara pressed her lips tight, holding back a groan._

_“Stage Three.” Sara muttered, “I’m classified as Stage Three. He said he can’t give me a life expectancy yet, but… I shouldn’t make any retirement plans.”_

_“Oh dear, Stages Five and Six are still years in the future.” Ellen comforted, “Just focus on your work okay? Keep going.”_

_“I am mom.” Sara smiled again, “Listen, I gotta go now. I have some reports to finish. I’ll call you if things change.”_

_“Love you sweetheart.”_

_“Love you too mom. Night dad.”_

_Sara’s face disappeared from the screen, and Alec put his head into his hands. His eyes closed for a moment._

_“Alec…” Ellen’s voice was firm, and he looked at her face at the sound. “Don’t start something with her.”_

_“Why do you think I’ve spent so long developing SAM? If SAM can help you, then it can help Sara too. I know it can.”_

_“Sara’s disease is genetic, Alec. It wasn’t produced by toxic products. They’re two very different ballparks.” Alec shook his head and stood, “She’s not a child. You need to let her decide what she wants for herself. She said she wants nothing to do with false hope.”_

_“But if this can save her life–”_

_“Have you ever stopped to consider that she’s happy right now?” Ellen asked him, “You need to let her live. You know she doesn’t like your work with AI, and the idea of an implant will only scare her.”_

_“I know.” Alec sighed, “For now. I’ll hold off for now.”_

-

**GH-1033.**

**My daughter has had this illness since the day she was born, and it’s so damn rare it’s barely been studied. There’s no medical cure. She spent two years in a hospital bed. I guess that’s where all this started. My work on AI, on SAM… first Sara, now Ellen? I guess I should count the blessing of Scott; he wasn’t afflicted by GH-1033.**

**Sara called us not too long ago. She was given a life expectancy just before leaving for Sur’Kesh. They gave her until her late thirties, maybe into her early forties if she’s lucky. There’s a Salarian doctor who will be supplying her with medications and giving her regular check-ups while she’s on the planet, Doctor Carlson was kind enough to work it all out with a former colleague of his. It’s a brutal disease, she knows that, she fights it every day. I’m so proud of her for how hard she’s worked to fight it and live her life, but… still. SAM has to be able to help her.**

**I called Jein about an hour ago. Sara accepted her offer, she’s on Sur’Kesh right now. Jein told me that Sara is working on a ship for a future Pathfinder, the Tempest. I asked why; Jein says she wanted a Mathematician with big ideals and even bigger dreams, someone who could look beyond the numbers; that’s a job that fits my daughter perfectly. She’s always been a dreamer.**

**I haven’t told the family about accepting a Pathfinder role. I will soon. For now, maybe I can convince Jein to let me use the Tempest once we make it to Andromeda. If I can get Sara and Scott to come with us, we’d all be serving together on a ship that Sara herself built. Sentimental, I know; but we’d be in no safer hands.**

**I know that Sara is in a lot of pain. But she’s not stopping, so neither am I. As long as she fights this, I’m going to fight it too. That’s my duty as a father… This has to work. I can’t lose my family.**


	11. Prompt #4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shoulder rubs & Your muse falling asleep with their head in my muse's lap. 
> 
> Kallo/Sara

It had been a long week.

It wasn’t just the ice storms on Veold. It was running from the Kett every time they left the system. It was trying to land on Kadara without someone trying to stowaway. It was a lot of scouting they needed to get done to keep the Nexus leaders happy, and everyone was exhausted.

Sara had taken matters into her own hands and had ordered everyone to rest. She literally marched to the Bridge, grabbed Kallo’s arm and pulled him away from the controls and into her room, where he had no choice but to rest.

“I’m fine.” He told her, sitting on the couch none the less. It was a little too comfortable. His eyelids were drooping ever so slightly. 

“No you’re not.” Sara told him, “You’re falling asleep just sitting there. I am not letting our pilot fall asleep at the wheel.” Kallo sighed and rubbed the base of his neck, finding no reason to argue with her. “Have you been sleeping?” When he didn’t answer her at first, she gave him a sly smile, “I can always ask Suvi.”

“A little.” He muttered, “Mostly in my chair. It’s a pain.”

“Are you hurting?”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Hmm.” Sara grabbed her favorite blanket and a datapad, leaving them on the arm of the couch. “Turn your back.” She told him, sitting up on her knees next to him.

“Uh... okay?” He did as she asked, and she giggled. 

“Just trust me hun.” He was about to ask what she was up to, but lost the words. Her hands rested on his shoulders, and very slowly she massaged his back and shoulders. He tensed at first, unused to the feeling; she gently patted his back. “Relax. It doesn’t hurt.”

Kallo let out a breath and relaxed, and after a minute it began to feel good. The tension in his shoulders started melting away, to a level he’d never really experienced before. He was so used to keeping himself busy, the tension was something he could usually ignore. 

“You’re so tense Kal. You’ve never had a massage before, have you?”

“Mmm...” He closed his eyes, a small smile coming to his face, letting himself relax fully. “Where did you learn how to do this?”

“Trial and error, mostly.” She told him, “Scott would do this for me when the pain got really bad. When we got older he kept hurting himself in boot camp, so I did this whenever he visited. Feels good huh?”

“Mmm.”

As the tension was leaving him, Kallo began falling asleep. Sara didn’t bother to keep him awake, she adjusted on the couch and gently guided him to lay down, his head in her lap. Moments later he was breathing soundly, completely asleep with a contented smile on his face.

Sara found it adorable. She took the blanket and carefully laid it over him, then she took her datapad and began to read. The quiet was so relaxing and peaceful, she wished that they never had to move; a small part of her was thinking about retirement for this reason alone.

When Kallo woke up, Sara was still reading quietly, one hand rested on his chest to feel the beating of his heart, and she seemed completely comfortable. It had been a long time since he’d felt so rested, and he suddenly had no desire to move. Instead he shifted enough to make himself comfortable again, then he closed his eyes and put his hand over hers.

“Sleep well?” She asked him, entwining her fingers with his.

“Mmm. I wouldn’t mind that in the future.”

Sara smiled, “I think that can be arranged.”


	12. Prompt #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caring for each other while ill (specify which party is which)

Sara wasn’t acting at all normal.

The Tempest was sitting in the Nexus docking bay much longer than they had meant to. Sara was holed up in her room, sending out her reports but not leaving either. It got the crew wondering.

When Lexi left her room after a few days stuck in docking, they asked her.

“Sara’s sick.” She told them, shrugging. “Nothing serious, she just needs a few days to recover.”

And the crew accepted that. All but Kallo, who knew differently. Who had hardly left her room and was helping as much as he could.

Sara was stuck in her room, struggling to move around. She was nauseous and in pretty severe pain. Her head throbbed with migraines and her hands shook so bad she couldn’t type, write or hold a datapad. Doing anything was slow for her, and she was frustrated as all hell.

She had work to do and wanted to do it, but she couldn’t type up the reports. So she spoke while Kallo typed for her, just to keep up.

She was too afraid to even leave her room, for fear of the crew finding out the truth. Kallo brought in food and tea, and she was eternally grateful for him. He was concerned for her, and didn’t want to leave her side.

There were times that she managed to fall asleep, leaving Kallo in the silence to think. He remembered back to the day she told him. The day that she let him in on her big weakness.

_“GH-1033 is a genetic regressive disorder. Stages One through Four are fairly straightforward. Pain in the joints and muscles, fatigue, spontaneous energy loss, the shaking, headaches; all of which grow more intense as you go through the Stages. Some people experience memory lapses in this time, I’ve only been through one of those. Stages Five and Six are when the regressive symptoms set in. It starts in more frequent memory lapses, sometimes temporary amnesia. There’s loss in muscle function to start, followed by a decrease in mental capacity. Eventually the internal organs begin to degrade; the body loses all function from the inside out.”_

_“And that’s why it’s terminal?”_

_“Yeah. The organs stop, the heart stops. A hospital could keep a patient alive for awhile once that starts but that just means being hooked up to a life support machine, which isn’t living. Scott knows that’s the last thing I want.”_

_“So... how long do you have?”_

_“At the moment I’m classified as Stage Three. I was given fifteen years, give or take. That’s assuming Stasis had no effect on me, I’ve had a few tests but no concrete answers.”_

_“And there’s no cure?”_

_“None.”_

_“I’m surprised they let you in on the Initiative, everyone was screened.”_

_“I was given a medical pass. My father being the Pathfinder was part of that... Jein wanted my mind, really. I was wanted on the Engineering front and dad wanted me to continue servicing the Tempest. So, here I am. The thought was that fifteen years from waking up there would be stability here, and my mind wouldn’t be necessary anymore.”_

_“That’s... a little too logical of a concept.”_

_“Unnerving, isn’t it. I don’t mind though. I got to come here. Granted, it’s not what we expected but that won’t stop me from doing my duty.”_

_“It doesn’t effect your work as Pathfinder?”_

_“Not at all. Not with the medications anyway. It’s so simple I could theoretically make it myself, if supplies got that desperate. It’ll be another decade or so before I even reach Stage Five. The medication is powerful enough to keep my symptoms at a level I can manage, exercise takes care of the rest. Most of the time I barely notice it. Though I’m sure you can understand why I don’t want anyone else to know. God I hate the pity stares, the questioning, people looking at me like I’m incapable. Better if they don’t know. People need hope right now.”_

_“I won’t tell them... I’m so sorry, Sara.”_

_“It’s okay. I’m okay.”_

The news was so shocking to him, but she never let it show. She always did what needed to be done with little regard to the illness. As if she could just ignore it, act like it didn’t exist, even though it bothered her within her own mind. There were the rare occasions she let him in on that world, but those days were few and far between.

As she stirred awake again, he calmly laid down to join her, wrapping his arms gently around her body, giving her the knowledge that he was still there. She didn’t talk for awhile, but when she did it was in disbelief. “Stage Four.” She grumbled. “ _‘A few days to get used to the new medications’_ my ass. Stage-fucking-Four.”

“Does that mean… your life has been shortened?” He asked her carefully, quietly. He felt her shift and shrug. Her hands were still shaking terribly.

“I don’t know what it means.” She told him, “Doctors seem to think not. Not significantly, anyway. The leap between Stages Four and Five are monumentally larger than between the first Four Stages. I think I still have time but…” She sighed, gripping his hand. 

“Are you scared, love?”

“Not of dying, no. Everybody dies Kal.” She was quiet and thoughtful, “I’m just not used to the feeling of… I don’t know, wanting more time. This damn team of misfits has grown on me.” He squeezed in his best attempt to be comforting, “Not fear, I just… I want more time.”

And he knew there was nothing he could say, or do. There was no way to give her time. She knew that, so did he. All he could do was hold her.

“We’ll make the time you do have worth a million lifetimes.” He said, kissing her gently, “I promise.” And it coaxed a smile from her, a little bit of hope, and that was enough.

A few days later her body had fully acclimated to the stronger medications, and she was back on her feet doing her normal work as Pathfinder. Neither of them, nor Lexi, told the crew the truth; Sara knew in the back of her mind that one day they would find out. But for now, she was content with letting them believe in Time.

Giving hope was still her job. She was determined to never allow her team to see her feel otherwise.


	13. Prompt #6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh my God. You’re in love with her.” - Kallo x Sara

The quiet moments were the ones Kallo waited for. It was rather convenient that they were also the ones he remembered in much grander detail. The way she’d give him that sideways smile. The glances and little laughs that filled the silence. The work ethic accompanied by a light hearted hum as the time passed by.

Then there were the loud moments. The powerful moments. The ones that just made him appreciate her in the most unusual ways. The moments when he’d see her standing there in full armor, sniper rifle in hand, looking so dangerous and protective at the same time. The last thing he thought of when he imagined Sara Ryder was guns, but she played the part beautifully, and he was helpless.

But his favorite moments? The ones he loved most were the unexpected moments. The impulsive actions that lead the Tempest all across the Cluster on a whim. The days Sara would burst through the door with a plan so insane, so stupidly brave, or so unbelievably reckless that the crew couldn’t help but follow her in her excitement. Perhaps trying to ride Fiends on Eos was taking it a little far, but still, they made the most of it.

And perhaps it was that impulsive time that had lead them to Veold, to land beside a frozen lake without any real reason. With Sara telling them there was no need for their armor.

“I managed to find some of these on the Nexus.” Sara Ryder grinned as she was lacing on a pair of strange shoes. Sharp blades were laying on the ground beside her. 

“Ice skates?”

“Yup! Being a Pathfinder has lots of benefits.” She had the widest smile on her face, seemingly excited about these strange shoes. “In fact, I got many of pairs. Plenty for whoever here wants to join me.”

“You are not going ice skating.” Cora side-eyed the blades. “Are you?”

“Of course I am!” Sara pretended to be offended, “I’ll have you know, I was a figure skater most of my life. Won a gold medal. I am totally doing this.”

Suvi had a grin on her face so wide it could not have grown any more. Without any convincing she took a pair of the shoes and laced them up. 

“So you told Director Tann that you were going to Veold to help bolster the resistance just so you could figure skate?”

“We’ll do that. Later. Hey I’ve done my bid for him too many times over, Director Tann can go suck the big one for all I care.”

Liam laughed and took one of the pairs of shoes, “You only live once right? I’ve never done this.”

“Ah, it’s easy!”

“... What is this… figure skating?” Jaal asked, staring curiously at the shoes.

“Come outside and see!”

Kallo remembered Sara talking about this before. He’d seen pictures of her wearing these strange shoes before, dancing on ice. It wasn’t at all something he expected to see beyond photos, and he was intrigued enough to follow her out into the cold. They bundled up, Sara took the rest of the shoes outside with them, and they went to the lake.

They had fixed the vault on Veold, so the cold was significantly easier to deal with. The sky was clear as was the day, and the ice was practically sparkling. 

Sara attached the sharp blades to the bottom of the shoes. Then in an instant she was on the ice, perfectly balanced, skating along without a care in the world with a huge smile on her face. She wasn’t doing much, just going in circles on one or both feet, spinning around waiting for Suvi and Liam to join her. 

Suvi didn’t need Ryder’s help, she seemed to already know how to skate. Not nearly as well or balanced as Sara but she could hold her own. It was Liam who was stumbling around and falling on his ass. Sara was laughing as she helped him up, and held his forearms as he learned how to hold his balance.

Surprisingly enough, Lexi was the next to join them. As Liam finally started getting a balance, she put on some of the shoes and tried to stand. She fell once, Drack helped her up, and after that she was fairly balanced, enough to keep up with Liam anyway. She had a smile on her face that Kallo hadn’t seen in a long time. Jaal joined in next, there wasn’t a pair to fit him but Sara made up for that by finding one pair of blades that would fit onto any shoe, so Jaal used it and got himself out onto the ice. He was not at all graceful, but he was laughing and having his fun regardless.

Kallo then decided that it looked like fun. Not at all something he ever would have thought of, but… fun. Upon looking at the pairs of shoes he noticed that Sara had taken the time to find pairs to fit all of the crew, including him and Vetra should they want to join in. 

By the time he got the skates on correctly, Vetra, Gil and Peebee had gotten a pair on and had joined them on the ice. Vetra was on her ass more than her feet, but she seemed to be having fun regardless. Peebee’s gung-ho attitude gave her ample chance to hold her balance, and she was quick to get the hang of it. Kallo noticed Drack had sat himself down in the snow with a snack, laughing whenever someone fell on their ass before shouting out some inspirational spiel for them to try again.

Kallo tried to stand, but immediately fell. It was definitely not as easy as Sara was making it out to be. Determined to join them, he stood up again, and flailed a little as he tried to stay balanced.

“Hey hey, let me help.” Sara was giggling as she effortlessly skated up to him, taking a firm hold of his arms. “Hang on to my arms, balance yourself.”

Kallo did as she told him, gripping her just above the elbow and focusing on staying upright. Sara was moving them both backwards out into the ice. “Bend your knees, relax Kal.” She smiled at him with confidence. “This ain’t rocket science, just breathe.”

To say he was distracted was an understatement.

It took a few minutes, but eventually he gained his balance. Slowly, Sara moved away from him, letting go of his arms. He slipped a little but didn’t fall, and after a moment he was balanced again. “Well done!” She grinned, skating a circle around him. “Quick to learn as always.” She winked at him, and he had to pause at her flushed face from the cold and the smile that refused to leave.

Sara spotted Cora at the edge of the lake. It looked like Drack had practically forced her to put on skates, but she looked out at the ice nervously. With a grin, Sara went over and grabbed Cora’s arms.

“Wait, wait wait wait!” Cora gasped as Sara pulled her out onto the Ice, Drack’s encouraging comments following her all the way.

“Stop fighting it Cora, just let yourself go for one day!” Sara laughed, and spun on the ice with Cora in tow.

The crew spent the entire day on the ice. Sometime in the fun Liam disappeared into the ship and came back out with hot chocolate, both dextro and levo, that he’d been hiding for a special occasion. They got off and on the ice on a whim, allowing themselves the day to take a break, to have their fun. Sara, to no one’s surprise, never left the ice.

As the sun was setting, she was skating around humming to herself. Another round of hot chocolate had been passed around as the group chatted away happily. Sara was doing spins and twirls, dancing to her own tune, fully relaxed and enjoying the moment.

“How fast can you spin Sara?” Vetra called out. Sara gave her a wide smirk before going into a spin so fast and graceful, the crew burst out in ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’. 

“Showoff!” Peebee shouted as she stopped.

“Showoff? You want to see me show off?!” Sara called, “Okay!”

Sara went to the end of the lake. She moved fast like a bullet, gathered speed, spun around and did a perfect backflip, landing it without falling and posing with a bow. The crew erupted into cheers. “That’s how you show off Peebee!”

Kallo couldn’t help but simply stare, the warmth from the hot chocolate in his hands, a soft smile on his face. Liam moved and sat down next to him, glancing between him and the dancing Sara.

“She’s pretty, isn’t she?” He prodded with a shit eating grin. Kallo, true to fashion, didn’t notice; instead he watched her, surrounded by the sparkling ice.

“Yeah…”

Liam blinked, the shit-eating grin turning into a full grin. He slapped Kallo’s shoulder, “Oh my god. You’re in love with her.”

It was a long time before Kallo answered him. He just watched, determined to remember this, determined to remember the one moment that Sara was truly in her element, fully content and happy and, admittedly, beautiful.

“Yeah. Yeah, I am.”


	14. Prompt #7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You deserve better." Kallo/Sara

“Kal, have you even _seen_ Aya?”

“I can see it from here!”

Tempest was docked in Aya for Sara’s meeting with the Moshae. She had run back when the meeting was over to drop off some data without the rest of the crew’s knowledge, giving them time to relax in the city. She knew the crew loved the city, the planet, and many were generally interested in the people.

They’d all left the Tempest silent; that is, all for Kallo.

Sara looked out the window from behind his seat. From here, he could see the docking bay, the tops of buildings and a little bit of green. Nothing even remotely spectacular.

“Yeah, what a view.” Sara deadpanned, “Come on, you’ve never walked through the city. It’s beautiful!”

“I have these diagnostics to finish and-” Sara groaned and grabbed his hand, dragging him up and out of his chair.

“Come on, you’re walking with me, Pathfinder’s orders.” Kallo couldn’t help but laugh incredulously.

“Is this your best attempt to keep me from overworking?”

“Consider this our date night for the week.”

“... Alright,” He grinned, adjusting to actually hold her hand, “I know when I’m outmatched.”

The pair made their way out of the docking bay and towards the market. Some of the Angara gave Ryder their regards as she passed them. Others gave her a glare so vicious, Kallo couldn’t help but put his arm around her and glare right back.

_‘Yeah, like you’re any match for these Angara.’_

“It’s okay, love.” Sara told him, having noticed the sudden gesture. She smiled at him. “They’re just suspicious, and they have every right to be.”

“Suspicious? They looked like they wanted to kill you.”

“You know that Angara are very vocal with their emotions.” She told him, “After everything the Kett have done to them, I don’t blame them for being suspicious of me. Roles reversed, would we be acting any different?”

“... I guess not."

“Well, there’s your answer.” She quickly stood on the tipcs of her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “Enjoy the city while were here. There’s the historical center, in fact.”

Kallo glanced over to the center, it was small but he didn’t think he should expect much less, not with everything the Angara had been through. He turned to go inside and take a look, Sara readily following him.

The center’s curator called out a greeting to Sara, by name, with a warm smile and a wave. Sara said her name was Avela, and the Angara took a brief moment to gush to Kallo about all of the artifacts Sara had helped them to recover. Then they looked at many of the items on display, with a very smug looking Peebee nearby watching them.

“She’s had bets on our relationship from day one, you know?” Kallo chuckled. Sara discreetly glanced back, to which Peebee immediately noticed. She made a gesture Sara would rather never be commented on, making a face to the Asari before turning back around.

“I’ve heard rumors. What’s her latest prediction?”

“I haven’t gotten Suvi to let me in on it yet.”

“Offer up some of your tea.”

“Oh, if only Suvi didn’t know my tricks.” He shrugged, making Sara laugh lightly. Any tenseness he’d had had melted away.

The two left the center, and Sara led him down a smaller street. It lead into a less populated area of the city, surrounded by bright flora and a light breeze. “The Moshae took me here last time we landed. I wanted to show you something.”

The farther down they walked, the less Angara were around. Finally the street led to an Alley, which in turn opened to a small vista point. The two went up to the ledge and looked out.

Sara could hear Kallo gasp at the sight. Seven waterfalls spilled off the cliff near them, resulting in a beautiful mist effect that created small rainbows when the sunlight hit it just right. Farther beyond, the landscape lost it’s greenery, but was dotted with the firey tornadoes that were so breathtaking.

“Oh wow.” Sara was smiling, watching him from the corner of her eye as he talked. “This reminds me so much of Sur’Kesh...”

“I know it’s not the same, but... maybe seeing something similar helps.” Kallo looked to her; Sara had a smile on her face that was strange, almost like she was upset.

“What’s bothering you?” He asked with concern, pivoting enough to face her.

“Oh, nothing much. Just thinking.” Sara told him, “I know that Andromeda hasn’t been what was expected or promised. It’s all been very stressful on everyone. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help but feel like some of it’s my fault on some level. I hate that I have to ask you to fly us into danger so often, from Kett or just to pick us up when the Nomad’s busted. And with how much combat everyone has to go through... I don’t know. It’s just an unfortunate situation all around. So I hope that seeing that there’s still beauty out here helps a little.” She sighed, “You deserve better.”

Kallo let out a slow breath and smiled for her, pulling her into his side. “I got better.” He told her, “I got you. Why would I trade that?”

Sara grinned; she was blushing, but she raised an eyebrow in mock all the same. “Wow. When did you become such a smooth talker?”

“It’s just for your ears, trust me.”

“... God dammit fine, you win.” She chuckled, pulling him down to kiss him again. “Luckily for us, the day’s not even over yet. Maybe I’ll have time to come up with a decent rebuttal to that.”

“Oh, one can only dream.”


	15. Prompt #8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I just had to see you" For the Tara Ryder/Zevin Raeka ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first time writing Raeka! I'm still not great at her character yet but I hope you all enjoy this! This is NOT the same universe as my Sara/Kallo ship.

This wasn’t at all the person Raeka had expected.

Raeka remembered what Tara had been like on board the Paarchero. Very stoic, with walls built up on all sides of her, a barrier her crew didn’t seem to penetrate anymore than the situation did. In the midst of such death and destruction Tara had kept her cool and did her job. In the end Raeka would never forget the anger in her eyes, the fear it spawned in the Kett, and the flash of her biotics as she took out waves of Kett with well-timed Nova’s. 

She hadn’t had much chance to get to know Tara beyond that. She passed her briefly a few times in Pathfinder HQ, but she always had to run back to the Tempest to go out on another mission. Raeka hadn’t thought much of it, but she did want the chance to properly meet her, the one who’s saved the Paarchero. 

There were the rumors of course. Raeka made it a point to never believe baseless rumors, but those about Tara did capture her curiosity. People around the Nexus whispered that Tara was ruthless and emotionless, more a robot than human. Raeka had a very hard time believing that.

This, still, was not what she expected by any stretch of the imagination.

Raeka returned from a mission feeling rather good; they’d dealt with Kett and gained more genetic information to learn more about their exaltation methods. It was a successful mission and she reviewed it all as she left her ship. She was headed towards the trams when the sound caught her attention; the gentle strum of a guitar and light humming that for some reason sounded very familiar.

Raeka lifted her head and looked around her. There, near the door to the trams, was Tara. She was sitting up against the wall playing an old-style wooden guitar, one Raeka had only ever seen in vids. She was smiling very calmly, humming along to her tune with no real care of anything around her. Some nearby were listening to her song and it brought smiles; Raeka could very easily pick up on the reservation, where before she’d only ever seen Tara with stone-cold determination, this was vastly different. 

Tara glanced up and noticed Raeka watching her. Her smile grew a tiny bit, so slightly Raeka almost didn’t catch it. She finished her song and stood, pushing the guitar over her shoulder and walking to Raeka with a notable shyness.

“Hello Tara.”

“Hi.” She smiled up at Raeka, but she could very plainly see that Tara was nervous; no, this was not at all like the person who’d fought the Kett.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s my day off.” She shrugged, “I’d heard you were coming in from a mission so I… well. I just had to see you.”

Raeka blinked a few times, not exactly sure she’d heard Tara right. “See me?” Tara nodded, “Did something happen?”

“No, nothing like that. I’ve just noticed that there hasn’t been much time to talk, and with everything… I wanted to make sure things were okay?”

Tara followed Raeka to the trams. It was empty, which seemed to relax her a great deal. “We are a resilient people.” Raeka smiled, “The transition to Nexus has gone well. That’s thanks to you, you know.”

“I don’t know.” Tara shrugged again, “I just punched people.”

Raeka laughed, “You did a lot more than that. That’s not why you’re here though, is it?”

Tara sighed and ran her fingers along the strap keeping the guitar to her back. “I’m not so good at this talking thing, am I?” She muttered, “You’ve kept trying to talk to me and I’ve kept running away. Things were busy. So… I’d like to just… talk to you?” She flashed Raeka a rather cautious, very shy smile. “I know there’s a lot of rumors about me going around, and there are rumors about you too, and… I didn’t want that to be what we knew of each other.”

Raeka didn’t really know what to expect, but the notion of Tara running away from anything or anyone seemed rather improbable. “Well… I’m only here briefly to drop off these reports.” She held up the pad, “We got word of a new Kett facility on Eos that may contain some sensitive information on Kett genetic code.” Tara looked a little disappointed, a fact which Raeka wouldn’t stand for. “I need to go right away, want to come with me?”

“Eos?” Tara nodded, her smile returning, “Sure, I’ll come.”

“It’ll be heavily guarded.”

“Nothing we can't handle. Why don’t I take you on the Tempest? We can use the Nomad. First-class escort.”

Raeka laughed lightly, “For me? You shouldn’t have.”

“Something’s telling me I should.” Tara giggled with her, quiet and small, “A Pathfinder’s day out.”

“Alright.” Raeka grinned, “Pathfinder’s day out, I like that.”

-

The Tempest made quick time reaching Eos. Raeka took the time to brief Tara on what they were looking for, genetic sequences that the Kett had stored. She’d hoped the Kett hadn’t in some way been tipped off. Tara listened to every word and detail with intense focus, and Raeka was confident they were prepared.

The two took the Nomad across the terrain, leaving behind the rest of Tara’s crew. They switched to private channels so they could talk casually, not having much of a care as they rode on towards the facility. Tara’s driving skills weren’t stellar, but Tara smiled wide when Raeka laughed as she jumped the Nomad off a cliff.

They stopped on another cliff a couple miles from the facility. They could see it with binoculars, the clear day allowing them a good enough visual to plan their entry route.

“All I’ve ever wanted was clarity.” Raeka told her upon Tara’s insistence. Tara scanned the facility as she spoke, “I devote much of my time to looking in the mirror trying to understand myself. Some may call it narcissistic, but in knowing myself I can be true in the moment. To live a life free of regret… I have come close thus far.”

Tara hummed quietly to herself, “ _‘Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.’_ Margaret J. Wheatley.” Raeka glanced at her with amusement and shock, prompting Tara to clear her throat nervously. “I read a lot.”

“I can see that.” Raeka grinned.

“Let’s drive to the South.” Tara nodded, “We can drop in on them from there.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The shy and reserved Tara directly countered the calculated and dangerously powerful Pathfinder Ryder. Raeka could not fault her for not knowing what she was doing; the facility was smaller than Raeka had hoped, but it seemed Tara was not at all deterred by the Kett guards. She didn’t even pull out her shotgun for a good five minutes, instead using her biotics in the middle of the fray. Raeka took the opportunity given to her, as Tara attracted the attention of the Kett she picked them off with perfect precision. Tara didn’t seem to have any emotions on her face, the effort of using her biotics showed but otherwise she remained calculating throughout the fight.

It turned out the two Pathfinders worked very well together, and Tara didn’t seem at all bothered by all the Kett attention directed solely on her. In the end it was easy for them to deal with the Kett and clear out the facility. Raeka sat down at the console while Tara stood guard with her shotgun.

Raeka also began to notice the brief flashes of expression; she always smiled slightly when Raeka spoke directly to her. It was slight, hard to notice if you weren’t looking for it, but now that Raeka _had_ noticed her lack of verbal communication was not nearly as worrisome. Everything she needed to say flashed across her face in mere seconds, and Raeka would admit it was, in a way, near hypnotizing as she tried to read them all. 

“Tara?” 

“Hmm?” Tara looked to Raeka, and she noticed the acknowledgement across her face. 

“Was Eos out of your way?”

“No.”

“It was your day off.”

“I can always get another.”

“You sure?”

Tara shrugged lightly, “Look, I know what people say about me. They call me ruthless and heartless and emotionless. They say I’m cruel in battle and a terrifying being. I don’t mind the rumors but… I’m not really like that. And I… didn’t want you to think of me like that.”

“I don’t.” Raeka assured her, noticing the insecure tone that had also been there on the Nexus, “You saved the Paarchero after all. And me.”

“All in a day’s work.” Tara told her, “Tell me how you saved your homeworld. I remember you mentioned it.”

Raeka told her the story as they drove back to the Tempest, data in hand that would increase their knowledge of exaltation. They left with not a scratch on them, and Raeka noticed Tara’s concentration on her words. She listened to every detail Raeka said, and what few things Tara said came in the form of well-thought questions. Somehow, even through her quiet disposition that so many would find off-putting, it was easy for Raeka to hold conversation with her.

They returned Raeka to the Nexus within the day, and Tara saw her to the tram. “You’re headed back out?”

“Cora thinks she has a lead on the Asari Ark.”

“That’s good.” Raeka smiled, “You’ll find them.”

“Hmm.” Tara’s shy smile returned, “Maybe we could… do this again sometime?”

Raeka grinned so wide Tara couldn’t help but emulate it, “Absolutely. Anytime at all.” The tram arrived, and Raeka stepped inside. “Stay safe out there, Pathfinder.”

“You too, Pathfinder.”

The doors shut, and Raeka giggled to herself.

Tara was surprisingly endearing indeed.


	16. Prompt #9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "This is all your fault." "I hope so." for Kallo Jath x Sara Ryder

Of all the crazy, ridiculous, preposterous ideas Sara had ever come up with, this one was one of best.

Of course, that was only in her mind. Kallo was not nearly as convinced that this plan was at all viable. “So you want to stand on top of the Tempest—”

“With mag-lock boots.” Sara corrected the plan,

“— while I hover the Tempest beneath an unstable bridge so you can fix it.”

“It’s important, love.” Sara pleaded, “If that bridge collapses our miners won’t get any more supplies, we’ll loose an entire mine and displace a thousand people. I can fix it from below.”

“And if the bridge collapses?”

“The Tempest has shielding, but that’s why you and I are going to be the only two people on board, for safety’s sake. I know it’s a lot to ask but I really need you to trust me, okay? Believe me, I never want to put you in danger but you’re the only one who can keep the ship hovering at an exact spot.”

“You’ll scratch the paint.”

“We can repaint the ship!”

“If it collapses you won’t survive.”

“It wont collapse. All I need to do is fix the electronics leading to the hydraulic extensions, once the Bridge is connected at both ends the miners will be able to stabilize it. I can do this.”

Kallo sighed heavily and scratched at his horn. Of course she had to play the hero, but the pleading look in her eyes was one he couldn’t ignore. 

“Fine. But if you die out there I’ll—” Sara didn’t even let him finish the thought before she was kissing him. When she pulled away she was grinning wide, a sparkle in her eye.

“I’m not going to die sweetheart, I promise. You’re the best!” Sara ran to get her armor, and Kallo couldn’t help but smile after her. After all, she really did know what she was doing. What could actually happen to her?

It was a quick trip out to the mine; built into the sides of a mineral rich ravine, it hadn’t had any troubles until the Earthquake had hit. Sara was right about the bridge, if it collapsed the mine would have to be evacuated, a major setback. They needed to fix it.

The ravine was wide, plenty wide enough for the Tempest to maneuver. Sara used the mag-lock boots to reach the nose of the Tempest. Kallo moved them in closer and closer to get her beneath the bridge, and Sara could see many of the miners waving at them from the safe side of the facility. It was a spectacle for them it seemed, and Sara was happy to give them the distraction.

Kallo got the Tempest to hover just beneath the bridge, and she set to work. The electric conduits beneath were a mess and a half, but Sara determined she could fix it. The creaking sounds the bridge made every so often were eerie to say the least, but she kept working even as a few bits and pieces fell away at the other end.

_“If the other end cracks any more I’m going to have to pull the Tempest away.”_ Kallo told her over coms.

“That’s fine, but I’m almost done.”

_“Still stable?”_

“Yeah. The wind’s a bitch but I can manage.”

Sara kept working until the power came back on; the electricity was flowing again, bringing power to the hydraulics. The bridge could be connected again.

Kallo pulled the Tempest out from under the bridge, only barely, so that Sara could keep an eye on its progress. She gave the miners the green light, and they began extending the bridge out to connect at the middle. It creaked and groaned, metal grinding against broken metal, plating falling away into the depths below, but it was still moving. The rest could be repaired later so long as it could be stabilized, and as far as Sara could tell it was well on its way.

That was when they got the bad news.

_“There’s a Kett drop ship on our sensors!”_ Kallo called suddenly, _“Damn it, they’re right on top of us!”_ Sure enough, Sara looked up to see the drop ship swooping in from above.

“Figures.” She grumbled, “Don’t move the Tempest, you’ll knock me off!” Kett jumped from the ship and landed on the Tempest. They put down portable barriers at the same time Sara set up her own, moments later they were shooting and she was shooting back. The drop ship put the rest of the Kett on the unstable side of the facility, amid crates and barrels of explosives and Initiative supplies.

_“Well we know what they want.”_

“That’s just great!” Sara could see the Kett were not very stable, hunkering down as much as they could to stay on the Tempest, using their barriers as anchors. “They don’t have mag-lock, I’ve got a plan! On my count, tip the Tempest as far to the right as you can without moving, then straighten out again!”

_“That’s risky love.”_

“I know, you’re gonna have to trust me!”

_“I’m ready!”_

“Alright!” Sara primed her jump jets, “3! 2!” Sara disabled her boots and used the jump jet to shoot into the air, “Now!”

Kallo tipped the Tempest suddenly, using the landing thrusters to make the strange maneuver. The Kett tumbled off the Tempest and into the ravine below. By the time the Tempest was straightened out again, Sara was on her way back down, landing with only minor stumbling as she reactivated her boots.

Sara breathed out a sigh and turned her attention to the Kett on the facility proper, “Get me closer!” She repositioned her barrier as Kallo moved in. The Kett began to fire almost immediately.

_“Barriers are holding.”_ Kallo reported, _“You okay up there?”_

“Yup! I’d rather they shoot at me then at our miners!” The miners had stopped the bridge from moving, but the Kett were still shooting near the explosives. Some Kett were tying up crates of explosives, amid other supplies of food and equipment, and the drop ship was raising them up into their cargo. “Brace yourself Kallo!”

_“What?!”_

Sara knew the only thing worse than the Kett having the mine was the Kett having those explosives. So she watched as it raised up and up, closer to the drop ship, until it was right beneath the ship and about to be loaded. In that moment, Sara fired and hit the group of crates.

The crates exploded, knocking the drop ship off its axis and away from the facility. The ship burst into flames, its own fuel tanks exploding; the ship fell into the ravine, just barely grazing the still unstable facility. It rumbled with the explosion, but thankfully it didn’t fall.

The firefight lasted awhile longer, but the remaining Kett had nowhere to go. Soon enough Sara had sniped them out, and sensors confirmed there were none left. When the miners finally connected the bridge, Sara could hear the cheers above the howling of the wind.

Kallo carefully began to move the Tempest back to a landing pad. _“This is all your fault. That’s what I’m telling the Directors when they ask how we lost a week’s worth of supplies in five seconds.”_ Kallo grumbled. Sara smiled; it was his best attempt to hide his worry.

“I hope so. If I don’t get a sticker for my efforts here I’m filing a complaint.” Sara laughed. He could hear her starting to walk again as the Tempest leveled out, close to landing.

_“You’re insane.”_

“That’s why you love me, isn’t it?” She asked him with that cheeky tone of hers, and he could imagine that smirk she wore so well. Kallo huffed and suddenly tipped the Tempest forward. Sara shrieked as she was thrown off the Tempest; they were close enough to the ground that Kallo knew she was in no danger, but watching her tumble head over heels past the front window made him burst into a fit of giggles. Completely worth it.


	17. Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> #9 - A Kiss in public

Kallo can't remember Sara in a line, for nothing about her is ever straight forward. So he remembers her in pieces, fragments of moments woven together like a puzzle. The puzzle is always there, even in her face. The way every emotion she needs to convey flashes across her face in moments makes him pay attention, desperate to catch every one, wanting to remember. The way she moves, graceful and flowing yet somehow powerful and dangerous, something exciting in a way he can’t name. He wants to remember. He needs to remember her.

One moment she's laughing, loud and boisterous, joking right along with the crew. Sarcastic quips fall effortlessly from her lips, and he hopes she knows how much he loves her laughter.

The next she's bloody, raging, standing her ground no matter what comes for her. Insults fire off like a torrent, fists ready to strike again, armor battered but nowhere near close to breaking. Rage, she always insists, rage against the injustice, rage against the hurt, rage. She stands there and glances back to him, gives him that very tiny moment of reassurance. She's there, and he's safe.

And then, all he sees are the stars dancing behind his eyelids, the feeling that he's not breathing yet he doesn't want to breathe. Her lips speak nothing but silent passion, so forceful yet so gentle. She moans-- just a little-- and he melts, pulling her in, stealing her breath, desperate for more. He opens his eyes when her lips disappear, both breathless and panting, so drunk on passion Kallo doesn't want to sober up.

He particularly remembers the day that some fossil of a Dalatrass approached him on Nexus, with a claim that they were distant relations. They were, in fact, but so distantly related that she had to produce three different family tree’s just to connect them together.

_“You must know, this... relationship you have with a human is pulling the Clan’s prestige into question.”_

_“A Clan I’m not associated with, right. Do you really think I care?”_

_“We must ask you to think about what’s best for the clan. I can offer a Contract in your favor for--”_

_“I don’t want your contracts, Dalatrass. I’m happy as is, and your Clan won’t be nearly as impacted by the relations of a distant cousin as you think they will be. You people overreact so quickly.”_

_“I cannot condone your choices, Kallo Jath.”_

_“Good thing I’m not asking, then. This is a new galaxy, traditions can change. Leave your bias at the door.”_

_“But she’s a **human**!”_

_“A human that I happen to love very deeply. Watch yourself.”_

_“You’re dreaming if you think something so... superficial will last.”_

_“My girl is more than anything you perceive humans to be.”_

All in one moment, Sara’s coming out of the trams. She’s got a mixture of emotions flashing across her face; annoyance at whatever Tann had just spoken to her about, delight at seeing him standing there waiting for her, concern at the look on the Dalatrass’ face. _“Speaking of which, there she is. **Pathfinder** Sara Ryder. I’m sure you know her.”_ Kallo enjoys that he can take the briefest of moments to be smug in front of the exasperated Dalatrass. Then he goes to Sara and, without saying a word, kisses her there in front of everyone. He can’t be bothered to care about what others think. The whispers, the questions, the scorns, they’ll always be there, but Kallo doesn’t care. He’ll never care. The look in her eyes, the smile on her face, is more than enough for him.

"Kallo?"

And suddenly he's there again, completely present, reacting to her voice without a lick of hesitancy. She's curled into his side on the couch, wearing her favorite lacy panties and a tank top that somehow shows off her curves in all the best ways. Kallo never would have imagined that such a sight would be as entrancing as so many vids made it out to be but there he was, marveling at the sight of her, absently memorizing every freckle and every scar that graced her skin. Meridian’s morning light seems to make her glow; they've come to enjoy those slow and quiet mornings.

"I lost you for a minute there." She jokes and smiles. There it is again, the flash of emotion he's learned to read so well.

"You could never lose me."

He gets her to blush, personal challenge completed. She has a look on her face, a look he’s come to recognize so well. The look of someone hopelessly in love. A look he's sure he emulates without fail.

 _If this is a dream_ , he thinks, _I hope I never wake up._


	18. Prompt #10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having their hair washed by your muse | Taking a bath together | Patching up a wound.
> 
> For Kallo Jath/Sara Ryder

It had been a terrible week for her. Terrible, in fact, barely covered it.

The week started with a Kett ambush. Sara had been blown through a window, unconscious for about two minutes, only surviving due to Drack’s quick reaction and becoming a living shield from the Kett’s return fire. As the week went on they fought Rokaar, Exiles, pirates, local wildlife and more Kett. She’d been shot a few times, nothing too serious but enough to definitely hurt. She’d been jumped by an Adhi which scratched up her back, and a fiend had thrown her twenty feet. A Rokaar had gotten a knife too close for comfort, a pirate beat on her mid-battle, and she was tired. Very, very tired. Sara was always the first to admit that she was still not the best in the field, but she thought she’d been learning a lot. The week just made her realize, it wasn’t enough.

So by the weeks end she was knocked flat, bruised and slashed and in terrible pain. The exhaustion flared her illness, and she was left a shell of herself, her hands shaking so bad she could barely pull on her clothes, her stomach hurting so bad she refused to eat, and Kallo hardly knew what to do.

Kallo knew there was little he _could_ do, and his heart bled for her. Her black eye and bruised limbs might as well have been his own. Damn this job, he thought for the briefest of moments. Damn all those people who hurt her like this.

But he couldn’t think on those thoughts for long. Sara needed him. The solution came in a flash, something he could do for her. He coaxed her out of bed, helped her walk to the bathroom. He helped her peel off her pajamas and gently removed her old bandages. He turned on the water, entered the special code with his omni tool to allow them all the hot water they wanted, and got them both into the water.

He sat her down in the corner, sitting behind her as a soft rest, careful not to touch the worse cuts. She sighed as the hot water streamed over them, and he could feel her muscles beginning to relax. Her hands still shook as she gripped his thighs but he could see the heat was making it just that little bit more bearable. Kallo ran his hands through her hair, working the water through slowly but surely. “Feels good.” She muttered after awhile, her first words that morning. He carefully looked over the worst of the bruising.

“I should’ve stopped you sooner.” He thought absently, almost surprised he’d said it aloud.

“Nah. Too much to do. These things tend to happen.” She adjusted herself, ever so slightly. “Just _hurts_.” Her fingers dug into his thighs as proof of fact, a groan escaping her as she tried to find a comfortable position.

“Well I’m putting my foot down. You are not leaving this ship until you’ve healed. Pilot’s orders. I can do that, right?”

“You can refuse to fly the ship, not much I can do about that. Then you just have to hope I don’t report you for it.”

“Report me for all I care, we’re not going anywhere.” Sara laughed, breathy and light, the exhaustion made obvious.

“I’ll think about it.” She joked, humming with pleasure as he took a moment to massage her shoulders, working carefully around the bruises.

“Better?” He asked as he pulled her closer and kissed her shoulder.

“Better.” She confirmed with a contented sigh, “Much better.”

They stayed under the hot water for what must have been hours, until the shaking in Sara’s hands began to subside and she started muttering something about needing to take her medications for the day. And so he helped her up, helped her dress and started to dry her hair as she took her medicine and ate a true meal for the first time in two days. 

As he wrapped fresh bandages around her forearm she smiled, her eyes growing heavy, her hands finally still. She was contented and finally, _finally_ , relaxed.

“You’re my hero.” She talks softly, quietly, with little energy for much more.

“You spend every day being our hero. Figure it’s only right to return the favor every now and then.” Kallo smiled as she shifted, leaning into him again, letting him work on the bandages until he was satisfied.

“ _Ngiyanithanda_.” She whispered before drifting off to sleep, a little smile on her face, breathing easy for the first time in days. Kallo leaned down and kissed her head, carefully putting down the freshly bandaged arm, setting her down gently onto her pillow.

“I love you too.”

It was tough, this work they’d both chosen. But they had each other, and sometimes that was all they truly needed.


End file.
